The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-09-24
Specta1 Contributors.
ELEMENTS OF SUCCESSFUL CHURCH
ADMINISTRATION.
BY REV. JAMES GORTON.
Cedar Falls, Iowa.

We designate in this article two i'm
portant elements of all wise and sue
cessful administration of church inter-
ests. First, the work done, of whatever
kind, must be constructive. Secondly,
the work must be persistent. 1t must
have an unbroken continuity. More
churches have been weakened, discour-
aged, and utterly desOlated by lack of
these two elements, than perhaps by all
other causes combined. Where these
two elements have constantly co-existed
anywhere, it would be doubtful if a
single weak or discouraged church could
be found.
We cannot perhaps here define very
fully and completely what we mean by
constructive work, or by persistent
work, but we can state some things.
There is kind of preaching that is COR
structive. 1t builds something. 1t is
constructive in thought and spirit. 1t
fills the mind with information, and
with positive truth, and with strong
motives to noble living and to right ac
tion. There is another kind of preach
ing that is negative, and destructive,
dealing chiefly or purely in negations.
1t simply inclines men to reject some
thing, to hate something perhaps, but
to accept and to love nothing 1t does
not put great truth and great mott We
into the soul that impels it to action.
Then again, preaching that would
otherwise be constructive is made de-
structive. Men think because they de-
molish error by strong argument, preach
the truth eloquently and convincingly
here and there and everywhere, all over
the land, and do not follow this up in
any place with organization and with
systematic and thorough work, with
unbroken continuity of endeavOr, that
they are doing great work. We do
not say that no good has been done in
this way, but we do affirm that a vast
amount of harm has been done to our
church by these birds of passage, these
perambulating destruetionists. tits as
though we should scatter grain over all
the vast eXpanse of unbroken prairie
and woodland, and then say, "TheIe
now, there will be great harvest by
and by - If we had but cultivated a
single acre we would have had larger
harvest.
We are at least still in the formative
period of our growth. We are in the
organizing and the administrative pc
riod of our life. \ hundred years is
not great while in the life of church.
And our church, in the conditions that
exist in modern society, will be built
up and made strong, not merely by
preaching the gospel in hundred places,
but by organizing and administering
Christianity properly, persistently and
thoroughly in one place. That would
be constructive work. The pastoral
L.
work done through the various organ
iZatiOns of which the church is compos-
ed, may be done with such wisdom and
skill-with such patience and persist
ency, and with such an excellent spirit
on the part of minister and people, as
shall make it truly constructive, ever
building up all the interests of the
church, and all the elements of its life
and power and success.
If the minister would do constructive
work he must stick to his pulpit and to
his parish. Let his pulpit be his throne,
the gospel his scepter, the parish his
kingdom. We have known ministers
to greatly neglect their pulpit and par
ish work, and to spend large portion
of their very best talent and energy for
many weeks of the year, in lecturing,
in order that they might exc out a mea-
ger salary. That is destructive work.
But our churches suffer most perhaps
from the lack Of persisteney and un-
broken continuity in our work and in
the pastoral relation. Here is one of
the most serious questions of admins
tratiOn. From this source more than
from any other, if not indeed more than
from all others, come all our dead OF
dormant churches, all our weak and Ian
gushing and discouraged churches.
This permanency or unbroken cOnti-